Sport | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/sport
Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voiceen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:13:23 GMT2015-03-03T19:13:23Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Oscars 2015: How much do you know about sports films?http://www.theguardian.com/sport/quiz/2015/feb/19/oscars-sport-films-quiz
As the Academy Awards approach, test your knowledge of sports in film <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/quiz/2015/feb/19/oscars-sport-films-quiz">Continue reading...</a>SportSportFilmCultureOscars 2015OscarsUS sportsThu, 19 Feb 2015 16:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/sport/quiz/2015/feb/19/oscars-sport-films-quizAllstar/Cinetext//Allstar/Cinetext/0-0! Photograph: Allstar/CinetextBryan Armen Graham2015-02-19T16:01:00ZMcFarland, USA review: Kevin Costner plucks heartstrings in race dramahttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/17/mcfarland-usa-review-kevin-costner-mexican-american-cross-country-runners
<p>A sob story about a white teacher coaching a cross-country running team of Mexican American schoolchildren narrowly avoids being condescending </p><p>What’s the Spanish word for schmaltz? Whatever it is, it flows from the screen like the Rio Grande during McFarland, USA, a feelgood underdog sports tale starring <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000126/">Kevin Costner</a>, a bunch of kids who will not quit and a Walt Disney Company logo.</p><p>Based on a true story (so states a tear-duct-priming title card) and set in the late 1980s, Kevin Costner plays a football coach of entitled snots. In the locker room he hurls a shoe at his whiny quarterback which accidentally bounces and hits the kid in the face, spike-first. Unemployable at any respectable school, Coach White (yes, that is his name) ends up in the poorest town in California – McFarland.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/17/mcfarland-usa-review-kevin-costner-mexican-american-cross-country-runners">Continue reading...</a>FilmKevin CostnerCultureSportTue, 17 Feb 2015 05:01:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/17/mcfarland-usa-review-kevin-costner-mexican-american-cross-country-runnersPhotograph: SuppliedTracks of his tears: Coach White (Kevin Costner) and his charges.Photograph: SuppliedTracks of his tears: Coach White (Kevin Costner) and his charges.Jordan Hoffman2015-02-17T05:01:11ZFoxcatcher review – Steve Carell excels in a real-life tragedyhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/11/foxcatcher-review-steve-carell-excels-real-life-tragedy-wrestling-schultz
<p>Steve Carell is unrecognisable – and wonderful – as the strange, sports-obsessed millionaire who lost the battle against his own demons with disastrous results<br><br></p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/30/foxcatcher-schultz-brothers-offer-they-should-have-refused-wrestling-champions-nancy">Foxcatcher: the tale of two Olympic wrestlers and an offer they should have refused</a><br></li></ul><p>Thanks to the heated news and awards attention it has received in recent weeks, it’s unlikely that anyone will find themselves watching <em>Foxcatcher </em>without a working knowledge of its headline-grabbing background. Yet when I first saw this strange and disturbing sports psychodrama last year, I not only knew nothing of the grim, real-life events upon which it was based, but I was also initially unaware that I was watching Steve Carell. So unrecognisable is he as creepy millionaire John Eleuth&egrave;re du Pont, founder of the titular privately funded wrestling team, that one struggles to spy any semblance of the comic personae previously parlayed in films such as <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2005/sep/04/features.review11"><em>The 40-Year-Old Virgin</em></a>, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/apr/25/date-night-review"><em>Date Night</em></a> or even <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/148983/hope-springs"><em>Hope Springs</em></a>. It’s not just the makeup (pallid skin tones and a prosthetic nose) that hides Carell’s familiar features; everything about him, from his homunculus stance and fidgety demeanour to his wheedling nasal voice and pouting grimace, suggests Brando-esque levels of transformation. Carell may have played things straight before, but not since Robin Williams in <em>One Hour Photo</em> has a comedian put so much clear water between himself and his back catalogue.</p><p>The fall-out from du Pont’s tormented sports patronage made scandalous headlines in the US in the mid-90s, but UK viewers unfamiliar with the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/30/foxcatcher-schultz-brothers-offer-they-should-have-refused-wrestling-champions-nancy">real-life travails of Olympic wrestlers Mark and Dave Schultz </a>are advised to avoid googling the details in advance. Better to allow director Bennett Miller to tell this stranger-than-fiction story with the same engaging intelligence that characterised his previous works, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/feb/26/philipfrench"><em>Capote</em></a><em> </em>and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/27/moneyball-review-brad-pitt-baseball"><em>Moneyball</em></a>, both of which drew career-best performances from their casts.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/11/foxcatcher-review-steve-carell-excels-real-life-tragedy-wrestling-schultz">Continue reading...</a>FoxcatcherDramaFilmCultureSportWrestlingSportSun, 11 Jan 2015 09:30:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/11/foxcatcher-review-steve-carell-excels-real-life-tragedy-wrestling-schultzPhotograph: Scott Garfield/APSteve Carell as John du Pont in Foxcatcher. Photograph: Scott Garfield/APPhotograph: Scott Garfield/APSteve Carell as John du Pont in Foxcatcher. Photograph: Scott Garfield/APMark Kermode, Observer film critic2015-01-11T09:30:12Z23 Blast review – blind footballer fable drops the ballhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/24/23-blast-review-blind-high-school-football
<p>Nice folk help a nice boy overcome obstacles and play high-school football again – without the interference of the modern world </p><p>What am I, some kind of monster? You expect me to say nasty things about the movie about the blind high-school football player? The one that’s based on a true story? Well, the picture does feature an awful lot of lip service about being true to oneself, and in that spirit of honesty I must take the ball and run with it. 23 Blast is lousy.</p><p>23 Blast – named for a football play, but also a sharp way of ensuring high alphanumeric placement on VOD servers - fits into the oftentimes hard to define “faith-based” genre. This one squeaks in by inches, though, in that there are only a few moments of hardcore Christian imagery. Indeed, compared to this year’s earlier release <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/when_the_game_stands_tall/">When The Game Stands Tall</a>, this flick is practically secular. (One kid drinks and is mildly disobedient, yet his comeuppance is quite light.) But it is thanks to the wisdom of a preacher (and a film-closing quote from <a href="http://biblehub.com/niv/2_corinthians/5.htm">Second Corinthians</a> about living by faith and not by sight) that Travis Freeman decides to stop moping around his room and get back into the game.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/24/23-blast-review-blind-high-school-football">Continue reading...</a>23 BlastDramaSportFilmUS sportsSportCultureFri, 24 Oct 2014 16:01:22 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/24/23-blast-review-blind-high-school-footballPhotograph: PR23 BlastPhotograph: PR23 BlastPhotograph: PR23 Blast: Mark Hapka as the star receiver who loses his sight but plays on.Photograph: PR23 Blast: Mark Hapka as the star receiver who loses his sight but plays on.Jordan Hoffman2014-10-24T16:01:22ZMudbloods: an inspirational sports film … about quidditchhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/14/mudbloods-inspirational-sports-film-about-quidditch
<p>There are 151 teams in the USA alone playing an earthbound version of the game in Harry Potter. A new film explores the phenomenon from the inside</p><p>“Do you fly? And how does the snitch work?” </p><p>These are the first two questions any intrepid observer of real-life muggle quidditch is wont to ask. I myself asked them of the first quidditch players I ever encountered – secretly but ardently hoping that someone had figured out the exact combination of fairy dust and quantum physics needed to simulate flight. No, players do not fly, and the snitch is really just a ball-in-a-sock contraption attached to a sprightly human dressed in yellow; but yes, muggle quidditch is real, it’s wonderful and it’s catching on faster than you can say “<em>Accio Quaffle</em><em>”</em>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/14/mudbloods-inspirational-sports-film-about-quidditch">Continue reading...</a>FilmHarry PotterJK RowlingSportCultureTue, 14 Oct 2014 18:02:29 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/14/mudbloods-inspirational-sports-film-about-quidditchPhotograph: MudbloodsThe traditional quiddich stance.Photograph: MudbloodsThe traditional quiddich stance.Photograph: MudbloodsA triumphant moment in Mudbloods.Photograph: MudbloodsA triumphant moment in Mudbloods.Raya Jalabi2014-10-14T18:02:29ZDraft Day review – Kevin Costner wheels and deals in a Moneyball-lite sports dramahttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/05/draft-day-review-kevin-costner-moneyball-lite-drama
Kevin Costner is back on solid ground as an American football manager grappling with the complexities of the draft, but it’s a subject unlikely to excite many British moviegoers<p>Anyone not au fait with the byzantine rituals of American football’s draft day lottery may find themselves at a loss as Kevin Costner struggles to assemble a winning team for the Cleveland Browns via “trading ones”, “banking QBs” and nail-biting “on the clock” decisions. Ivan Reitman’s all-in-a-day sports flick plays like <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/27/moneyball-review-brad-pitt-baseball" title=""><em>Moneyball</em></a>-lite as Costner’s Sonny Weaver Jr attempts to outsmart the opposition – games being fought in the boardrooms rather than on the playing fields. A frazzled romance with Jennifer Garner’s straight-talking, sports-literate paramour never quite convinces or engages (compare this to the affectionate punch of <em>Tin Cup</em>), but Ellen Burstyn is in firecracker form as Sonny’s imposing mom, turning up with her husband’s ashes at a moment of maximum stress.</p><p>It’s unlikely to strike a chord with UK audiences, but Costner has always been king of the (it’s-not-really-about) sports movie, and after the crass Euro-stodge of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/3-days-to-kill" title=""><em>3&nbsp;Days to Kill </em></a>it’s good to see him back on home turf.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/05/draft-day-review-kevin-costner-moneyball-lite-drama">Continue reading...</a>Draft DaySportKevin CostnerFilmCultureSat, 04 Oct 2014 23:04:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/05/draft-day-review-kevin-costner-moneyball-lite-dramaPhotograph: c.Everett Collection/REX/c.Everett Collection/REXKevin Costner ponders a tricky trade in Draft Day. Photograph: c.Everett Collection/Rex.Photograph: c.Everett Collection/REX/c.Everett Collection/REXKevin Costner ponders a tricky trade in Draft Day. Photograph: c.Everett Collection/Rex.Mark Kermode, Observer film critic2014-10-04T23:04:07ZDraft Day review – sports drama sidelines emotionshttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/02/draft-day-review
<p>Kevin Costner’s personal issues are left on the bench as everyone gets worked up about NFL transfer windows</p><p>For the UK crowd, there’s something almost hypnotically exotic about Ivan Reitman’s sports-drama doubling down on the protocol of the NFL transfer window. The process is spoken of with such faith and commitment, such sweat and intensity, that the jargon rings in your ears like liturgy. While the likes of Any Given Sunday and Moneyball were character studies with a sports backdrop, our investment in Kevin Costner’s Cleveland wrangler is never that deep,&nbsp;and the issues he’s dealing with – disapproving mum, dead dad, pregnant girlfriend – are just bases to&nbsp;jog around. The pregnancy strand especially, given that this seems to be a first child for both Coster (59) and girlfriend Jennifer Garner (42) might have felt like quite a game-changer. Yet quarterback scrambles forever muscle centre stage, leaving the human element scrimmaging on the sidelines.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/02/draft-day-review">Continue reading...</a>Draft DayKevin CostnerDramaIvan ReitmanSportCultureFilmThu, 02 Oct 2014 20:00:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/02/draft-day-reviewPhotograph: Summit Entertainment/Evere/REXJogging around the bases … Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner in Draft Day. Photograph: Summit Entertainment/Everett/RexPhotograph: Summit Entertainment/Evere/REXJogging around the bases … Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner in Draft Day. Photograph: Summit Entertainment/Everett/RexCatherine Shoard2014-10-02T20:00:09ZMillion Dollar Arm review – not the sporting Slumdog it thinks it ishttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/31/million-dollar-arm-review-mark-kermode-not-slumdog
This true-life tale of the search for an Indian baseball star can't bat clear of schmaltz and cliche<p>This ho-hum dramatisation of sports agent JB Bernstein's search for an Indian baseball star desperately wants to be <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/slumdog-millionaire" title=""><em>Slumdog Millionaire</em></a> with balls. Yet despite the involvement of talented writer Tom McCarthy and celebrated composer <a href="http://www.arrahman.com/" title="">AR Rahman</a>, Craig Gillespie's by-numbers schmaltzathon never transcends its tourist's-eye views&nbsp;of India or patronisingly cliched views of its people. Jon Hamm is well cast as the slimy agent who has an epiphany after watching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk" title="">Susan Boyle performing I Dreamed a Dream</a> in front of Simon Cowell (no, really), while Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal&nbsp;make the most of underwritten roles as pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel. Alan Arkin steals all the laughs as a grouchy scout – with a heart of gold, naturally.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/31/million-dollar-arm-review-mark-kermode-not-slumdog">Continue reading...</a>Million Dollar ArmFilmJon HammSportDramaCultureSat, 30 Aug 2014 23:05:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/31/million-dollar-arm-review-mark-kermode-not-slumdogRon Phillips/Unit'Never transcends its tourist’s eye views of India': Madhur and Suraj Sharma in Million Dollar Arm. Photograph: Ron Phillips/UnitRon Phillips/Unit'Never transcends its tourist’s eye views of India': Madhur and Suraj Sharma in Million Dollar Arm. Photograph: Ron Phillips/UnitMark Kermode, Observer film critic2014-08-30T23:05:09ZMillion Dollar Arm: 20% Hamm, 30% cream, 50% historical batting averagehttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/28/million-dollar-arm-cricket-baseball-reel-history
Likable performances from Jon Hamm among others are the best thing about this '80% true' account of a US sports agent's quest to find baseball stars in India<p><strong>Million Dollar Arm (2014)</strong></p><p><strong>Director: </strong><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0318916/" title=""><strong>Craig Gillespie</strong></a></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/28/million-dollar-arm-cricket-baseball-reel-history">Continue reading...</a>Million Dollar ArmFilmSportDramaCultureCricketSportBaseballJon HammSport politicsThu, 28 Aug 2014 13:42:39 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/28/million-dollar-arm-cricket-baseball-reel-historyRon Phillips/UnitRinku, Dinesh and Amit introduce Bernstein to Indian blessings. Photograph: Ron Phillips/UnitRon Phillips/Unit'She made seven figures a year' … Lake Bell as Brenda. Photograph: Ron Phillips/UnitRon Phillips/UnitAppealing characters … Madhur Mittal and Suraj Sharma. Photograph: Ron Phillips/UnitIshika Mohan/UnitRinku (Suraj Sharma) in Million Dollar ArmSuraj Sharma Photograph: Ishika Mohan/UnitIshika Mohan/UnitRinku (Suraj Sharma) in Million Dollar ArmSuraj Sharma Photograph: Ishika Mohan/UnitAlex von Tunzelmann2014-08-28T13:42:39ZSeve review – over-egged hagiography of the golfing legendhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/29/seve-film-review-ballesteros-hagiography-of-golf-legend
Gripping sports footage is interspersed with rosy dramatisations of Ballesteros's early years in an enjoyable account of the Spaniard's life and career<p>Unapologetically enthusiastic about its subject, this enjoyable if over-egged (and overlong) hagiography of golfing legend Severiano &quot;Seve&quot; Ballesteros pads its gripping sports reportage with chocolate-box dramatisations of his childhood years, making this very much a game of two halves. The best material finds this &quot;young matador of the links&quot; cocking snooks at the establishment as he hooks balls out from under the bumpers of parked cars, while uptight British commentators struggle to put his &quot;smiling Spaniard&quot; charm into words (&quot;He's thinking, 'the paellas are on me!'&quot;). Years of practising on the beaches and shrubland of his farming home made Ballesteros a dab hand at dealing with both the rough and the smooth, a three-iron the only tool he needed. No wonder his death in 2011 provoked so many tears.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/29/seve-film-review-ballesteros-hagiography-of-golf-legend">Continue reading...</a>DocumentarySportFilmCultureSeve BallesterosGolfSportSat, 28 Jun 2014 23:05:36 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/29/seve-film-review-ballesteros-hagiography-of-golf-legendPRJosé Luis Gutiérrez as Ballesteros in Seve.Mark Kermode, Observer film critic2014-06-28T23:05:36ZEscape to Victory remake: who should follow in Pelé's footsteps?http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/jun/27/escape-to-victory-remake-film-who-should-star
<strong>Open thread: </strong>Are any current players good enough to rub shoulders with Hollywood on the big screen? Tell what you think below<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/27/world-cup-film-escape-to-victory-football-soccer-doug-liman">• Hollywood plans Escape to Victory remake to capitalise on World Cup</a><p>Ah, Escape to Victory. Not, perhaps, the film of which director John Huston was most proud, but an entirely satisfactory method of whiling away a dull Sunday afternoon. Plus, of course, the chance to see a sprinkling of assorted football legends (and some not so legendary) trying to mix it with the acting pros.</p><p>Much attention, not surprisingly, was focused on the absurdity of Sylvester Stallone on the same football pitch as Pel&eacute;, Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles et al. However, football hipsters approvingly noted the presence of several members of the highly-rated Ipswich side of the late 70s and early 80s: John Wark, Russell Osman, Kevin O'Callaghan, Laurie Sivell and Robin Turner. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/jun/27/escape-to-victory-remake-film-who-should-star">Continue reading...</a>FilmSportFootballAction and adventurePeléSportCultureFri, 27 Jun 2014 11:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/jun/27/escape-to-victory-remake-film-who-should-starAllstar/MGM/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarYou don't know what you're doing … Escape to Victory. Photograph: Allstar/MGM/Sportsphoto LtdAllstar/MGM/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarBobby Moore, Michael Caine &amp; Sylvester Stallone in Escape to Victory, directed by John Huston in 1981 Photograph: Allstar/MGM/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarGuardian Staff2014-06-27T11:30:00ZHollywood plans Escape to Victory remake to capitalise on World Cuphttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/27/world-cup-film-escape-to-victory-football-soccer-doug-liman
Warner Bros at scriptwriting stage as USA v Portugal World Cup game draws record US viewing figures<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/jun/27/escape-to-victory-remake-film-who-should-star">• Which footballers would be good enough to star?</a><p>The Hollywood studio Warner Bros is planning a remake of the cult Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone football movie <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abO0lm6L4T0" title="">Escape to Victory</a> to capitalise on the US's increasing fondness for &quot;soccer&quot; and the current World Cup.</p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/01/edge-of-tomorrow-review-tom-cruise-emily-blunt-born-again-blockbuster" title="">Edge of Tomorrow</a> director <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/doug-liman-talks-direct-victory-715282#sthash.DpRVEMBj.dpuf" title="">Doug Liman is in talks to direct</a> the drama, which would utilise the US title of the 1981 film, Victory.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/27/world-cup-film-escape-to-victory-football-soccer-doug-liman">Continue reading...</a>SportFilmCultureFootballWorld CupSportUS newsWorld newsFri, 27 Jun 2014 10:33:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/27/world-cup-film-escape-to-victory-football-soccer-doug-limanSportsphoto Ltd/Allstar/MGMSylvester Stallone and Pelé star in the original Escape to Victory football/soccer ('You say tomatoes…') film, set during the second world war. Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar/MGMSportsphoto Ltd/Allstar/MGMSylvester Stallone and Pelé star in the original Escape to Victory football/soccer ('You say tomatoes…') film, set during the second world war. Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar/MGMBen Child2014-06-27T10:33:09ZTop YouTube channels for North Korea watchershttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/28/top-youtube-channels-for-north-korea-watchers
<p>Want to see Kim Jong-un's latest PR stunt, or sing along to Moranbong Band's hits? <a href="http://www.northkoreatech.org/">North Korea Tech</a> rates the most popular YouTube channels posting footage on the secretive state</p><p>It’s easier than ever to watch the latest video from <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/north-korea">North Korea</a> thanks to a handful of YouTube channels that have sprung up in the last few years.<br /></p><p>Here’s a list of some of the best North Korea-focused channels that I’ve found on YouTube, organised by their start date.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/28/top-youtube-channels-for-north-korea-watchers">Continue reading...</a>North KoreaAsia PacificWorld newsYouTubeTelevision & radioSportMusicFilmMon, 28 Apr 2014 14:12:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/28/top-youtube-channels-for-north-korea-watchersPhotograph: NORTH KOREAN TV/AFP/Getty ImagesScreen grab taken from North Korean TV on December in 2012. Photograph: North Korean TV/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: NORTH KOREAN TV/AFP/Getty ImagesScreen grab taken from North Korean TV on December in 2012. Photograph: North Korean TV/AFP/Getty ImagesMartyn Williams for North Korea Tech, part of the Guardian North Korea network2014-04-28T14:12:11ZEssendon boss regrets self-reporting to AFL over supplementshttp://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/apr/25/essendon-boss-regrets-self-reporting-to-afl-over-supplements
<p>• Decision “gave away all club’s leverage”<br>• ASADA investigation into Bombers continues</p><p>Essendon chairman Paul Little has suggested the club got it wrong by self-reporting their supplements crisis to the AFL. As ASADA continue their investigation of the Bombers' 2011-12 supplements program, Little said the club gave away too much control of how the process unfolded.</p><p>The scandal went public in February last year, when then Essendon chairman David Evans, chief executive Ian Robson and coach James Hird fronted the media. They announced the AFL and ASADA would start a joint investigation of the supplements program.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/apr/25/essendon-boss-regrets-self-reporting-to-afl-over-supplements">Continue reading...</a>AFLEssendonAustralia sportSportFri, 25 Apr 2014 05:06:56 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/apr/25/essendon-boss-regrets-self-reporting-to-afl-over-supplementsPhotograph: JOE CASTRO/AAPIMAGEEssendon president Paul Little said the club lost control of the situation once it self-reported to the AFL. Photograph: Joe Castro/AAP ImagePhotograph: JOE CASTRO/AAPIMAGEEssendon president Paul Little said the club lost control of the situation once it self-reported to the AFL. Photograph: Joe Castro/AAP ImageAustralian Associated Press2014-04-25T05:06:56ZThe Hurricane: the facts of Rubin Carter's life story are beaten to a pulphttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/24/the-hurricane-rubin-carter-denzel-washington
Denzel Washington's compelling performance gives Norman Jewison's biopic punch – despite its many inaccuracies<p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/81975/hurricane" title="">The Hurricane</a> (1999)<br />Director: Norman Jewison<br />Entertainment grade: B<br />History grade: D–</p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/apr/20/rubin-hurricane-carter-boxer-dies-76" title="">Rubin &quot;Hurricane&quot; Carter</a>, who died this week, was a boxer in the United States. He was convicted of a 1966 triple homicide in two trials and became a cause celebre, inspiring Bob Dylan's song <a href="http://www.openculture.com/2014/04/bob-dylan-plays-first-live-performance-of-hurricane.html" title="">Hurricane</a>. The convictions were set aside by a federal court in 1985, on the grounds that they had been &quot;predicated upon an appeal to racism rather than reason&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/24/the-hurricane-rubin-carter-denzel-washington">Continue reading...</a>SportFilmDenzel WashingtonThu, 24 Apr 2014 09:26:18 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/24/the-hurricane-rubin-carter-denzel-washingtonAllstar/UNIVERSAL PICTURES/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarLoyal in love … Debbi Morgan as Carter's wife, Mae Thelma.Allstar/UNIVERSAL PICTURES/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarA new chapter … Vicellous Reon Shannon (right) plays Lesra Martin, who is enchanted by Carter's autobiographyAllstar/UNIVERSAL PICTURES/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarHigh points … the film's most gripping scenes show Carter's time in prison.Allstar/Cinetext Collection/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Cinetext CollectionPacking punch … Denzel Washington in The Hurricane Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext Collection/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Cinetext CollectionAllstar/Cinetext Collection/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Cinetext CollectionPacking punch … Denzel Washington in The Hurricane Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext Collection/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Cinetext CollectionAlex von Tunzelmann2014-04-24T09:26:18ZWill Ferrell set for Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King drama Match Makerhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/04/will-ferrell-match-maker-bobby-riggs-billie-jean-king
The comedy star will play Bobby Riggs, the tennis player who set up a 'battle of the sexes' match with Billie Jean King in 1973<p>Will Ferrell has signed on to play Bobby Riggs in Match Maker, a drama about the 'battle of the sexes' tennis match in 1973 that Riggs played against Billie Jean King. </p><p>It follows <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/feb/19/danny-boyle-biopic-billie-jean-king-film-battle-of-the-sexes">the news in February</a> that director Danny Boyle and writer Simon Beaufoy met with King in New York to discuss the project; Boyle had previously been seen at the premiere of a documentary on the match, entitled Battle of the Sexes. It isn't clear whether Boyle is still in the running, but Beaufoy will not pen the script, which will be taken on by Steve Conrad, writer of last year's Secret Life of Walter Mitty remake as well as The Pursuit of Happyness and a forthcoming John Belushi biopic. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/04/will-ferrell-match-maker-bobby-riggs-billie-jean-king">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureWill FerrellComedyDramaSportSportTennisFri, 04 Apr 2014 09:32:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/04/will-ferrell-match-maker-bobby-riggs-billie-jean-kingD Dipasupil/GettyWill Ferrell, who is set to play Bobby Riggs. Photograph: D Dipasupil/GettyD Dipasupil/GettyShah is good to meet ya … Will Ferrell. Photograph: D Dipasupil/GettyBen Beaumont-Thomas2014-04-04T09:32:00ZMike Bassett: Interim Manager – is this the least essential sequel ever?http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/18/mike-bassett-interim-manager-least-essential-sequel
Contrary to popular demand, Ricky Tomlinson is to return as hapless football manager Mike Bassett 13 years after the original was released. But why?<p>Remember that sudden confusion you felt in the pit of your stomach back in 2005 when you realised that <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/89628/mike.bassett" title="">Mike Bassett: England Manager</a>, the immediately forgotten 2001 footballing comedy starring Ricky Tomlinson, had been deemed worthy enough to be turned into <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482414/reference" title="">an ITV sitcom</a>?</p><p>No, of course you don't. To remember how confused you felt back would mean that you remembered the Mike Bassett sitcom. And that would be silly. Because that would mean remembering that Mike Bassett: England Manager existed, too. And surely nobody's got the time or the inclination to commit that sort of intrinsically inconsequential fluff to memory.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/18/mike-bassett-interim-manager-least-essential-sequel">Continue reading...</a>ComedyComedyFilmCultureSportTue, 18 Mar 2014 11:21:32 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/18/mike-bassett-interim-manager-least-essential-sequelPRDid we not like that? … the Mike Bassett ITV sitcomPRDid we not like that? … the Mike Bassett ITV sitcomStuart Heritage2014-03-18T11:21:32ZIn praise of … David Frith | Editorialhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/08/in-praise-of-david-frith
After 31 years, the historian's annual evening of films about cricket history has been axed by BFI chairman Greg Dyke<p>For 31 years, the historian <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/profile/david-frith" title="">David Frith</a> has mounted an annual evening of mostly black and white film about cricket's history at the British Film Institute. There, you could watch priceless film of players from <a href="http://player.bfi.org.uk/player/watch-arthur-mold-bowling-to-a-n-hornby-1901-150650158/k4YjNlZTo-OE8dhcWSkbqNcu7WHdQOtK?channelId=default" title="">AN Hornby</a> and Victor Trumper to Len Hutton and Don Bradman. Over the years, aficionados such as Harold Pinter and Peter O'Toole could be found mixing with players like Denis Compton and Steve Waugh in the audience. Last year, the BFI dubbed Mr Frith's archive evenings <a href="https://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-press-release-august-2012-at-bfi-southbank-2012-07-01.pdf" title="">&quot;unimprovable&quot;</a>. This year <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24692240" title="">they have been axed</a> by BFI chairman Greg Dyke, who cites the wish to revitalise his programme. As <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/ashes-2013-14" title="">the England XI in Australia</a> struggle to reach totals <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHrS_S1EO8M" title="">Hutton once made on his own</a>, and while players bicker and sledge in ways that Trumper – <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWseyEhwySI" title="">filmed in 1910 accepting a run-out without demur</a> – would never have done, these collections speak to the present as well as the past. Surely the BFI should now review Mr Frith's dismissal.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/08/in-praise-of-david-frith">Continue reading...</a>SportBFIFilmCricketAshes 2013-14The AshesSportGreg DykeMediaSun, 08 Dec 2013 22:53:34 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/08/in-praise-of-david-frithEditorial2013-12-08T22:53:34ZComputer Chess: Hollywood needs a new gambit when it comes to chesshttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/29/computer-chess-hollywood-movies
Film-makers have tried sex, murder and intrigue, and yet that most intellectual of spectator sports remains remarkably difficult to depict on screen<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/21/computer-chess-review">• Peter Bradshaw's review of Computer Chess</a><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2013/nov/07/computer-chess-trailer">• Computer Chess: watch the trailer</a><p>Throw a rock at the sports genre and you'll hit a film about baseball or football, or hockey, or racing. Odds are, you won't strike a film about chess. Chess isn't generally considered a stadium filler (although <a href="http://www.chess.com/blog/bestboyisme/anand-carlsen-world-championship-match-opens-in-8000-seat-stadium" title="">it can be</a>). It's perceived as a game for eccentric intellectuals and elderly historians. It doesn't have the glamour or sex appeal of more sedentary sports, such as pool, as demonstrated by Paul Newman in The Hustler. Chess won't even fit snugly in to other genre films, where the banality of cards, for example, naturally lends itself to a seedy, gambling gangster underworld (Rounders), the exotic highlife of a casino (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/103963/casino.royale" title="">Casino Royale</a>), or even more piquant, a combo of the two (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/90413/ocean.s.eleven" title="">Ocean's Eleven</a>). But chess? It's just too uncool, and Computer Chess only serves to compound that.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/29/computer-chess-hollywood-movies">Continue reading...</a>SportDramaChessCultureFilmSportComputer ChessFri, 29 Nov 2013 17:09:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/29/computer-chess-hollywood-moviesEureka EntertainmentFate of the game … a scene from Andrew Bujalski's Computer Chess. Photograph: Eureka EntertainmentBenedict Garman2013-11-29T17:09:00ZTop 10 sports movieshttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/25/top-10-sports-movies
Fighting, dying, hoping, hating … great sports films are about far more than sport itself. Here Guardian and Observer critics pick their 10 best<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/04/top-10-superhero-movies">• Top 10 superhero movies</a><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/08/top-10-movie-westerns">• Top 10 westerns</a><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/12/top-10-documentaries">• Top 10 documentaries</a><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/15/top-10-movie-adaptations">• Top 10 movie adaptations</a><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/20/top-10-animated-movies-films">• Top 10 animated movies</a><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/22/top-10-silent-movies-films">• Top 10 silent movies</a><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/series/top-10-films">• More Guardian and Observer critics' top 10s</a> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/25/top-10-sports-movies">Continue reading...</a>SportFilmFilm adaptationsRugby leagueSportAdolf HitlerOlympic GamesPaul NewmanKevin CostnerSusan SarandonTim RobbinsBaseballKeanu ReevesKathryn BigelowSurfingPatrick SwayzeTom CruiseNFLRenée ZellwegerWrestlingMickey RourkeDarren AronofskyBasketballDocumentaryBoxingRobert De NiroMartin ScorseseCultureOlympicsMon, 25 Nov 2013 14:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/25/top-10-sports-moviesRonald Grant ArchiveThe Kobal Collection/www.kobal-collection.comAllstar/Cinetext Collection/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Cinetext Collection20thCFox/Everett/Rex FeaturesAndrew Cooper/Associated PressRex FeaturesRonald Grant ArchiveRex FeaturesRexAllstar/Cinetext/UNIVERSAL/Allstar/Cinetext/UNIVERSALAllstar/Cinetext Collection/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Cinetext CollectionTIM ROBBINS &amp; KEVIN COSTNER
BULL DURHAM
01/05/1988
CTD9988
Couple
argument
baseball
Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext Collection/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Cinetext CollectionGuardian Staff2013-11-25T14:30:00Z